electronics News - Page 15 of 20 - CNX Software

December 27, 2017December 27, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

ALio Proto Board Supports Through Hole, DIP, and SMD Components (Crowdfunding)

Perfboards and stripboards are very useful to design your own simple electronic boards without having to design your own board from scratch. However, you have to select through hole or DIP components, as – while possible with some efforts – such boards are not designed for SMD components. AERD, an open source electronic development startup based in Indonesia, has designed ALio prototyping boards supporting both through hole and SMD components, as well as some common connectors/accessories such as micro SD card, USB connector, and so on. Three versions of the board (basic, embedded, Arduino) are available with the following specifications & features: Fits SMD and PTH components at the same time. Double layer bus (top and bottom) Other components/headers All versions – 1.1 mm pitch pad for micro SD/SD card breakout Embedded & Arduino only – mini & micro USB pads, 1x SPI breakout Arduino only – Arduino header, one […]

December 11, 2017December 12, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Build your own Digital Scale with this DIY Kit

Electronics DIY kits are easy to find from either Arduino kits, or robotics kits, to oscilloscope kits among others. But I can’t remember ever seeing digital scale kits, maybe because I did not look for it, but that’s exactly what I found on ICstation for $27.99 with a scale that can measure weights up to 10 kilograms with a reported one gram accuracy. The DIY scale can also be pruchased on eBay for $29.99. Main items in the (Trans–CRS–162DZC) kit and features: MCU – STC MCU Limited STC89C52 8-bit (80C51 compatible) MCU in 40-pin DIP package RTC – DS1302 8-pin DIP chip + CR1220 socket and battery EEPROM – AT24C02 serial EEPROM (DIP chip) Display – LCD1602 16×2 digit display Keypad – 4×4 matrix keypad Sensors – DS18B20 one-wire temperature sensor, “C3 high precision” 10kg strain pressure sensor Boards – HX711 load cell amplifier module, printed circuit board for the MCU, […]

December 11, 2017December 11, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

MeanWell Mini Switching Power Supplies May Be Useful for Development Boards

While some people or organizations with lots of boards may use high-end USB hubs to power and control them, most people likely use wall adapters to power their development boards like Raspberry Pi 3, ASUS Tinkerboard, Orange Pi PC, and so on. At least that’s what I do, except in some cases when I suspect power issues, and I go with a more powerful SMPS (switch mode power supply). I don’t use it often because it’s a large brick and expose 220V. But the other day, as I attended Chiang Mai Maker Party, I found one maker uses some tiny (and cute) power supply from a company called Mean Well to power his Raspberry Pi boards. The model used above with RS-15-5 with takes 100-240VAC 0.35A input, and output 5VDC up to 3A. The power supply include AC Neutral, AC Live, Ground, DC V+ and DC V- pins where you […]

December 4, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Sigrok Compatible ZeroPlus Logic Cube LAP-C USB Logic Analyzers Support up to 32 Channels, 75 MHz Bandwidth

Back in 2015, I discovered USB123 USBee AX PRO, an ultra cheap logic analyzer (now $5 shipped) with 8 channels, and up to 24 MHz. I purchased one at the time, and successfully tested it with Sigrok & Pulseview open source tools that now work in Linux, Windows, Mac OS, FreeBSD, Android, and several other operating systems. As I read through my list of RSS feeds today, I noticed Peter Scargill had tested ZeroPlus Logic Cube Lap-C 322000 logic analyzer also connected to your PC via USB, but with better specifications including 32-channels, and 75 MHz. Peter used the company’s Windows software (ZEROPLUS Logic Analyzer LAP-C_Standard_V3.14.03), but a quick search confirmed ZeroPlus Logic Cube Lap-C family is supported by Sigrok. LAP-C 322000 is the top model from the family with the following hardware specifications: Sample Rate – Internal clock (timing mode): 100Hz~200MHz; external clock (state mode): 100MHz Bandwidth – 75MHz […]

November 24, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Detect Lightning with Those AMS AS3935 “Thunder” Boards

Launched in 2012, AMS AS3935 Franklin lightning sensor is – at its name implies – a lightning sensing IC. The chip was designed for low power, portable or fixed wire-line applications, and beside detecting electrical emissions from lightning activity, it can also provide an estimation of the distance to the head of the storm from 40km away down to 1km, while filtering out other signals from motors, microwave ovens, etc… The chip interfaces via SPI or I2C to the host processor / micro-controller, and comes in a small MLPW-16 (4x4mm) package. Price is $3.55 per unit for 1k orders. Applications include wearables, golf carts, pool safety, portable GPS, bike computers, weather stations, uninterruptible power supplies, smart grid systems, environmental monitoring systems, etc… Basically, AS3935 can be used either for weather monitoring, or safety applications. I’ve found two maker boards with the chip: MikroElectronika Thunder Click board compatible with MikroBUS socket […]

September 15, 2017September 15, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Hantek PSO2020 is a $53 USB Oscilloscope Pen

I previously covered IkaScope & Aeroscope oscilloscope probes that are both portable and connect wirelessly to your mobile device or computer over respectively WiFi or Bluetooth. The former has slightly better specifications and sells for 300 Euros, while the latter goes for $200 US with 20 MHz bandwidth and 100 MSps capabilities. Several people mentioned it was more expensive than they were prepare to pay, but I’ve been informed about another portable solution: Hantek PSO2020 oscilloscope pen with about the same key specifications as Aeroscope 100A, except it relies on a USB port instead of a wireless connection. This also means it does not need a battery, and sells for much less at $53.20 including shipping. Hantek PSO2020 specifications: Analog Bandwidth – 20 MHz Sample Rate – 96 MSps Host Interface – USB 2.0 port Input Range – +/-50 V range Input Sensitivity – 20mV/div to 50V/div Offset Range – […]

September 13, 2017September 13, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

IkaScope WiFi Oscilloscope Probe Works with Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Android and iOS

Last year, I wrote about Aeroscope, a portable Bluetooth oscilloscope that looks somewhat like a Stabilo Boss highlighter pen, and sends measurements over the air directly to your Android and iOS tablet or smartphone. It was introduced through a crowdfunding campaign which eventually failed, but Aeroscope can now be purchased for $199 on Amazon US or their own website. If you’d prefer WiFi over Bluetooth, and would like something that also works on Windows, Linux, and/or Mac OS X, IKALOGIC has just launched IkaScope WiFi oscilloscope probe compatible with all popular mobile and desktop operating systems. IkaScope WS200 specifications: Analog Bandwidth – 30 MHz @ -3dB Sample Rate – 200 MSps Connectivity – 802.11 b/g/n/e/i WiFi @ 2.4 GHz configurable as access point or station Input Range – +/-40 V range CAT1 Offset Range – +/- 20V to +/- 40V offset Input Impedance – 10MΩ || 14pF Input Contact – […]

July 27, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

HTTM Backlit Capacitive Touch Switch / Button Sells for about one Dollar

You may have some project that requires buttons to turn on and off devices, or perform other tasks like navigating a user interface or playing games. One interesting and inexpensive solution for this could be HTTM (HelTec Touch Model) capacitive touch buttons that include three pins for power, ground, and the button status, as well as a backlight. You’ll find them on many websites, and one of the cheapest option is a pack of 10 buttons going for $9.91 on Aliexpress. HTTM button specifications: Voltage input range: + 2.7v to + 6v Signal output – Voltage: + 3.3v; Current up to 500 mA Header – 3-pin with GND, VCC, and OUT Backlight color – red, blue (cyan), or yellow Dimensions – 20.4 x 16.6 mm Operating temperature range: -30 ℃ to + 70 ℃ You’ll find more details on the manufacturer’s product page including a user manual (Chinese only), and […]